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Covering the 11th and 12th arrondissements, this district includes the quartiers Bastille, Nation, and Daumesnil.
Main metro stations in the Bastille neighborhood:
- Bastille (Lines 1, 5, 8)
- Ledru-Rollin (Line 8)
- Charonne (Line 9)
- Nation (Lines 1, 2, 6, 9)
Life in the Neighborhood
“Whenever we’re in the mood to scream or sing while watching a soccer game, my friends and I head to a small dive bar on Rue de la Roquette. The beer flies whenever France scores and the rowdy crowd stands during the entire match, chanting silly, somewhat rude songs.
The first time I went I was so pleasantly surprised — tons of bars around Paris say they show the matches but it’s very rarely with sound and generally nobody’s really paying attention to the games. Here though, I felt almost like I was at the stadium, cheering on Les Bleus and quickly joining in with the songs. The atmosphere’s electric, and not for the faint of heart.
These hole-in-the-walls are easy to come by near Bastille, with tons of bars and live music venues lining the streets around Rue de Lappe and Rue de la Roquette. This part of town isn’t trendy or even pretty, but it’s down-to-earth and full of energy, especially at night.”